Party Planning Ideas & Inspiration

April 23, 2010

Whimsical Woodland Baby Shower!

Happy Friday to you all! I wanted to share with you a recent baby shower that my dear friend and I threw for another precious friend, Molly. We really wanted to cater the shower to Molly's tastes: modern, natural, with a little whimsy. When she showed us the main fabric she was using for her nursery (Alexander Henry's It's a Hoot! in Brown), we knew it was the perfect inspiration!

earthy decor:We collected vases, pea gravel, and sticks from around our house (and yard), and used coordinating scrap-booking paper to wrap the vases, and create some other decorations that are featured below. (all photos taken by the incredibly talented Cindy Isom of Memphis, TN. Check out her website here!)

The guest book was a wrapped canvas with a picture of a painted tree. The baby's name is a secret, so the only initial we knew was the last name, "P." Once the baby is born, we'll be able to fill in her first and middle initial! We had two shade of ink, and guests were asked to "leaf a print" and sign their name on the fingerprint. It was a huge hit and Molly loved it, but make sure you have baby wipes for guest to wipe their fingers after they are done!

flora, fauna, and food! For the main food table, we secured four curly willow sticks in four vases, and wove the sticks through the chandelier. We hung a big green moss ball from the center and attached faux orchids and butterflies (from a local craft store) to the branches. The shower was in the evening (Girls Night!), so we had cheese fondue, sausage, chicken, granny smith apples, homemade bread, fruit salad, bruschetta, and a variety of mouth-watering dips lovingly prepared by several friends.

The cake was the hit of the evening...we supplied our wonderful friend with a few inspiration photos, and she came up with the perfect dessert to tie into the theme!

no ruffled feather here! it's all about the details:We found this cute paper owl family from mibo (wise guys collection). The curly willow branches came from the Memphis Botanic Gardens, and the paper cutouts which we taped on the wall of our "tree" were made with leftover scrapbook paper.

branching out: So that guests could easily see each adorable piece of baby girl clothing, we created a paper "tree" in the living room. We simply cut out a tree from a roll of brown craft paper, used double sided tape on the walls, and taped leaves and birds to the tree to our hearts' content. We hung a twine rope along the length of the branch, and as Molly opened her gifts, we used clothespins to hang each special item. By the end of the shower, her "tree" was full of precious baby clothes and linens!

whooooo's at the bar: Since a girls' night is never complete without wine or chocolate, we had both. We also had several nonalcoholic beverages, including a delicious punch, as there were several expecting women at the party. The owl favors were milk, dark, and mint chocolate candies shaped from an owl mold. We wrapped the owls in cellophane, tied them with ribbons, and secured them in a bowl filled with split peas. Because we have been to many parties where people forgot their favors, we handed out the suckers during gift opening time. Many guests enjoyed their tasty gifts while Molly opened hers!

designer diaper cake: One tradition in our group of friends is that we always have a diaper cake for the mother that complements her nursery theme. For a diaper cake tutorial, go here and for other diaper cake inspiration, go here. Each layer was wrapped in a blanket, burp cloth or bib, and was decorated with useful baby toys. The icing on the cake was that adorable pink and brown hounds-tooth owl!

chirpin' away: all talk of food and decorations aside, the best part of the evening was truly the company. Our group of girls have been through so much together, and we always welcome the opportunity to celebrate another tiny addition to the group! We love you, Molly!

Hope you enjoyed the party...we sure did! If you have any questions about sources, techniques, etc., please let me a comment and I will answer you promptly!